Malaysia court stays enforcement of ‘Allah’ ruling pending appeal News
Malaysia court stays enforcement of ‘Allah’ ruling pending appeal

[JURIST] The Malaysian High Court on Wednesday temporarily suspended enforcement of last week's ruling [JURIST report] that non-Muslims can use the word "Allah" as a translation for the word "God." The decision came after the Malaysian Home Ministry [official website, in Malay] sought a stay Tuesday. The case [JURIST report] was brought by the Herald, a weekly Catholic publication, challenging the Malaysian government's three-year ban on the practice. The lawyer for the Herald said his clients has consented to the stay [Sun Daily report]. The government also filed a notice of appeal [JURIST report] on Monday. The appeals court has not set a date for the hearing.

Malaysia [JURIST news archive], a Muslim-majority country, has struggled in recent years to find a balance between modernization and the policies of a more traditional Islamic government that has encouraged the spread of Sharia courts. Approximately 60 percent of Malaysians are Muslim, while Buddhists, Christians, and Hindus comprise about 35 percent of the population, falling under the jurisdiction of civil courts. Both civil and Sharia courts have the authority to address cases involving religious issues.

THIS DAY @ LAW

US Supreme Court ruled Indians not US citizens

On November 3, 1884, the US Supreme Court ruled in Elk v. Wilkins that John Elk, an American Indian who had tried to vote in a federal election in Omaha, Nebraska, was not a US citizen entitled to the protection of the 14th and 15th Amendments of the US Constitution. Native Americans became eligible for citizenship in 1887 under the Dawes Act, but only in 1924, under the Indian Citizenship Act, were all Native Americans born in the US made citizens.

Last public execution at Tyburn Gallows in London

On November 3, 1783, the last public execution took place at Tyburn Gallows in London, when John Austin was hanged for highway robbery. From the hanging of William Fitz Osburn in 1196 until Austin's execution, Tyburn served as London's primary location for public executions.

Learn more about the trial of John Austin.